Title: Paranoid Park
Author: Blake Nelson
Publish Date: September 2006
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pages: 176pp
IBSN: 0670061182
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: 13 and up
Price:
$15.99
Annotation:
A young skateboarder finds himself mixed up in a gruesome death of a security officer. Unable to deal with his emotions, he finds himself writing letters as a way to release the guilt.
Summary:
Written in a series of letters by an unnamed skateboarder that recounts the events that lead up to the horrific murder of a security guard, including his actions to cover up his part in the crime. It all started when he went to Paranoid Park by himself because his friend blew him off. He is intrigued by all the skaters and what everyone is doing. He gets approached by a "streeter" who asks if he can use his board. He lets him. They end up hopping a train to a trainyard and then it happened. The security guard who was chasing them gets murdered in a gruesome way. Throughout the story the skateboarder is tormented about the event, but cannot bring himself to take responsibility.
Evaluation: This was an eerie and suspense-filled read that provides the reader with a psychological ride inside the mind of a tormented teen who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The narrator’s internal monologue was very real. I thought it was an interesting choice for the narrator to not resolve the issue (as in confess), rather he came to terms with his guilt.
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness:
- Carrying a secret around.
- Feeling guilty.
- Trapped in fear and paranoia.
- Coming to terms with guilt.
Reason this book was chosen:
I actually saw the movie by Gus Van Saint before I even knew this was a book. I thought the movie was brilliant and wanted to read the novel. Additionally, the story exposes an underground skateboard world that I found interesting.
Similar Titles:
Awards:
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2007
Here is the film trailer.
